Awards showcase the cream of the crop in catering, hospitality services
The top talent in aged care food and dining will be celebrated in upcoming awards, as one of last year’s winners tells AAA how they have continued to improve services.
The top talent in aged care food and dining will be celebrated in upcoming awards, as one of last year’s winners continues to improve its services.
A 50-bed rural residential facility says it has seen improved skin integrity and reduced urinary infections among residents following the development and implementation of a hydration program to help manage the intense heat that often occurs in regional NSW.
The program was a collaboration between the facility’s catering and clinical teams and involved enhanced monitoring of fluid intake as well as novel ways of encouraging residents to drink more.
The Whiddon Group’s Narrabri facility was recognised for its hydration program, which is part of a series of catering initiatives, when it was named Facility Catering Services of the Year in last year’s Aged Care Hospitality National Awards (see below).
The provider introduced a heat awareness and preparedness policy in 2012 and a key area of improvement for Narrabri was to ensure that residents were keeping their fluid intake high to reduce heat-related incidents, said Maree Taylor, the facility’s director of care services.
“Under the hydration program training was provided to staff while residents were educated about the importance of fluids as part of their nutrition and wellbeing,” Ms Taylor told Australian Ageing Agenda. Staff also began to monitor residents’ fluid intake, particularly during heat wave periods, she added.
The catering team implemented a drinks trolley that could move around the facility easily, stocked with non-alcoholic beverages of various flavours and colours. For those with dementia, where colour and texture could improve interest in fluids, milkshakes, iced coffees and fruit crushes were introduced, Ms Taylor said.
The hydration program is part of the facility’s broader catering program, which has been rated as ‘good to excellent’ by 95 per cent of residents.
Cooking classes have enabled residents to continue to participate in an activity they enjoyed and valued, while the menu, which provides up to four choices at meal times, is developed through consultation with residents and considers availability of seasonal produce, Ms Taylor said.
A new initiative has been the implementation of “theme days” in the facility, most recently a Disney day. “It’s an opportunity to tie the menu in with a particular theme. The residents get to enjoy a special mealtime and interact with staff and fellow residents,” she said.
Nominations for this year’s awards
The annual Aged Care Hospitality National Awards, run by OSCAR Hospitality, are now in their fifth year and aim to recognise excellence in aged care catering, cleaning and laundry services. There are seven categories including chef manager, food service assistant and catering innovation of the year.
Nominations close this Friday 31 July, and the awards will be announced on 30 October.
i can’t wait until am old to be apart of this community